Hoisting tool for handling and tagging line

ABSTRACT

A HOISTING TOOL COMPRISING: A BODY PORTION, COAXIAL SNAP HOOKS AT EACH END OF SAID BODY PORTION, A TOOL HOOK PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM ONE SIDE OF SAID BODY PORTION AND TERMINATING A BIGHT RUNNING PARALLEL TO SAID BODY PORTION, AND A TAG LINE HOOK EXTENDING MEDIALLY FROM SAID BODY PORTION WITH ITS BODY LYING IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE PLANE OF SAID TOOL HOOK.

March 2, 1971 LECHNER 3,567,257

HOISTING TOOL FOR HANDLING AND TAGGING LINE Filed June 13, 1969 I f Y 5 f mmu,

United States Patent HOISTING TOOL FOR HANDLING AND TAGGING LINE Louis R. Lechner, 13812 Dawson Ave., Apt. C,

Garden Grove, Calif. 92640 Filed June 13, 1969, Ser. No. 832,898 Int. Cl. F16g 11/00 US. Cl. 294-78 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hoisting tool comprising: a body portion; coaxial snap hooks at each end of said body portion; a tool hook projecting outwardly from one side of said body portion and terminating in a bight running parallel to said body portion, and a tag line hook extending medially from said body portion with its body lying in a plane at right angles to the plane of said tool hook.

Work on elevated communication or power lines cannot be done efiiciently by one man alone. At least one man must work aloft. Since the man working aloft may require a considerable variety of tools, many of them awkward and cumbersome, such as power drills or saws, it is necessary in the interest of efficiency to have a ground man, who is able by means of a handline operating through a pulley rigged aloft, to send up or take down tools as the man aloft may require. The individual loads to be handled are not heavy so only a single sheave and a rope of, say, fii-inch to /2-inch manila will sufiice. It is further in the interest of efiiciency to have the rope or handline of considerable length so that at all times both ends of the rope are under the control of the ground man.

Heretofore, when it has been necessary to send the tool to the man aloft, it has been the practice to form a rather complicated knot, generally in the nature of a sheepshank, in one end of the line, such a knot forming a loop which can engage the tool. The ground man may then hoist on the other end of the line while using the end to which the tool is attached as a tagging line whereby he can stand well clear of the working position of the man aloft and manipulate the tool carrying line to avoid obstacles such as .guy wires which might be in its path. This, however, requires that the ground man have one hand engaged in managing the line as a tagging line and doing hoisting with the other end of the line, a manifestly awkward position.

The present invention obviates these difficulties by providing a member which can engage two lines (or the ends of a single line), which provides an adequate tool-engaging hook, and also provides a properly located tagging hook whereby the pulling end of the line is the only one requiring the attention of the ground man who, accordingly, can devote both hands to hoisting.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a tool-hoisting device which also accommodates a tagging line.

The foregoing and other objects will be made clear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the device in operation;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the device;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device; and

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the device.

Referring now to FIG. 1, indicates a pole having a. cross arm 12 to which a pulley 14 is secured by a chain or rope 16. A line 18 passes over the pulley 14 and has 3,567,267 Patented Mar. 2, 1971 formed at one end a loop 20 and at the other end a loop 22. The device of this invention is generally designated 24 and comprises a body portion 26 having at one end a snap hook 28 which engages a loop 20 and at its opposite end a similar snap hook 30 which engages the loop 22.

Adjacent the snap hook 30 and projecting from the body portion 26 is a tool-engaging hook 32 while from the opposite side of the body portion 26 there projects a tagging line hook 34.

A tool 36 engages the hook 32 while the hook 34 engages the line 18.

Now, if the ground man stands well clear of the pulley 14 and hoists on that portion of the device 24, he exerts also a lateral force tending to hold the device 24 at an angle to the vertical relative to the pole 10. This gives the effect of a tagging line and permits the ground man to cause the device 24 and the tool 36 to avoid such obstacles as guy wires. Also, by standing well clear of the cross bar 12, the ground man is in no danger of being struck by anything which may be dropped by the man aloft.

Referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, it will be seen that the snap hooks 28 and 30 are of conventional type, having slidable closures 38 at each end under the control of buttons 40 and being impelled to closed position by a common compression spring 42. The tool-engaging hook 32 terminates in an elongated bight 32' which extends parallel to the body 26 and is of sufiicient depth to insure against dislodgement of the tool 36 during hoisting or lowering operations.

As FIGS. 3 and 4 make it abundantly clear, the tagging line hook 34 lies in a plane normal to the body portion 26 and, of course, also to that of the hook 32. The free end 34 of the hook 34 approaches the body portion 26 close enough just to provide clearance for the line 18 and the center of the hook 34 directly overlies the center of the body portion 26 which makes for stability of the structure when in use.

For work on live power lines, it may be desirable to coat the entire structure with neoprene or other suitable insulating material to avoid any possible shorting by inadvertent contact by the tool with a live conductor.

While certain specific details have been shown and described herein, doubtless certain modifications in structure will subject themselves to anyone skilled in the art who may peruse this specification. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited to the precise details disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A hoisting tool comprising: a body portion; snap hooks at each end of said body portion; a tool hook projecting outwardly from one side of said body portion and terminating in a bight running parallel to said body portion, and a tag line hook extending medially from said body portion with its body lying in a plane at right angles to the plane of said tool hook.

2. The tool of claim 1, in which the tag line hook is circular in outline.

3. The tool of claim 2, in which the center of the tag line hook overlies the center line of the body portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 816,264 3/1906 Soper 24-73.12 974,950 11/1910 Carter 24239 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner S. P. GARBE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

